#FreeCongo: Legitimate Ways To Help DRC
The Silent Genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo & How You Can Help Ensure the Next Generation Has a Future
Imagine if one day attackers came to your house, and every morning, killed one family member. You scream and shout, but no one intervenes. The neighbors notice something is not right, but out of indifference choose to do nothing about it even as your family members fall, one after the other.
That is what a silent genocide feels like–dying while surrounded by spectators who don’t raise a finger to help.
It is what the Democratic Republic of Congo has been going through for the past three decades. Since 1996, when the conflict first started, over 6 million Congolese people have died, and another 7 million have been displaced.
The worst part? There is almost zero media coverage, and the global community is indifferent. So desperate are the Congolese people that in November 2023, a Congolese man stood in the middle of the capital–Kinshasa–with a sign “Stop the Genocide in Congo” and set himself on fire.
It was an attempt to bring attention to what was happening in Congo. Early this month, rebels took it up a notch when five rockets killed 18 and wounded 32 persons sheltering in an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp. The one place displaced Congolese ran to for safety is no longer safe.
If love and compassion are indeed the building blocks of humanity, then you, I, we cannot afford to continue being indifferent.
How Can You Help The Democratic Republic of Congo?
To help the DRC:
Educate Yourself on What is Happening in the Country
Learn how the conflict started, why it has dragged on for this long, and which countries are sponsoring it so they can benefit from unfettered access to DRC’s mineral wealth.
Learn about the minerals in DRC, particularly cobalt. DRC is home to 60% of the world’s cobalt, the mineral critical to manufacturing lithium-ion batteries in smartphones, electric cars, and laptops.
Everyone, from the private sector to governments, wants a piece of the cobalt pie, and they will gladly kill to acquire it.
Knowledge is power; you can only advocate for change if you have the facts. To get you started, here are three documentaries:
Blood Coltan
City of Joy (Netflix)
Congo–A Journey to the Heart of Africa by BBC
Engage With #FreeCongo Content and Content Creators
On whichever social media platform you frequent, engage with content talking about Congo and follow content creators who inform, educate and offer ways to help.
Engaging amplifies the message, creating awareness. It also gets people talking, which is an excellent way to eliminate the ‘silence’ in silent genocide.
A word of caution: not everyone talking about Congo is legitimate. Investigate the content creator’s legitimacy to ensure you don't end up supporting a charlatan.
I frequent TikTok and here are legitimate content creators I have encountered thus far. I have investigated them to the best of my ability, and they are genuine.
@PappyOrion (founder of Focus Congo)
@1tsjustjess
@congofriends (Friends of the Congo)
@juicebae (Joy, a volunteer residing in DRC in collaboration with Focus Congo)
@YANAtheartist (raised money using TikTok filters and music and has proof showing they sent the money to where it was needed)
Connect With Oganizations That Allow You to Volunteer or Donate
After years of conflict, the Democratic Republic of Congo is not only suffering from destruction, displacement and death but also:
Extreme poverty
Cholera
Ebola
Sexual violence
Food insecurity
Malnutrition
Malaria outbreaks
Dangerous skin conditions in children
Limited access to education
Lack of adequate healthcare
Different non-profit organizations have risen to the challenge and are addressing some of these issues. However, they need all the help they can get.
If you have the means and time, consider connecting with these organizations to volunteer, donate or use your skills.
These are some of the authentic organizations helping out in DRC.
Focus Congo
Emergency Relief for Displaced Children in DRCongo (Go Fund Me Courtesy of Miriam Kay)
I have already signed up as a remote volunteer with Focus Congo. Here are the forms I had to fill out and I’m waiting to hear from them.
Aside from volunteering, Focus Congo also allows you to donate and choose exactly what you want your funds to address.
Focus Congo is unique in that it was founded by a Congolese who suffered through the first Congo war at only 12 years.
His is a mission to build a brighter future for Congo and it shines through in everything the foundation does
There are probably more such organizations but I am yet to encounter them. So we are going to discover them together.
I have created a Google Sheet that I will update anytime I find a new and authentic source of information/organization.
Please, feel free to reach out on nafterthought@gmail.com to inform me of the same so I can update the Google Sheet.
Many want to help, but they lack a one stop shop for all the information they need. Let's build a resource for those such as this 👇🏾 (and for ourselves).
Link to Google Sheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LLZzUFgHfXh5W-O21QefcqkQ3YNg_Xg6RwXp32ijnWQ/edit?usp=drivesdk
Word of caution: do your due diligence to ensure that any organization you consider engaging with is genuine.
We will endeavor to do the same with all the resources on the Google Sheet.
Thank you for reading Not an Afterthought. We lead the conversation on how Africa can leverage technology, trade (AfCFTA), regional integration and PanAfricanism to build a continent that is not an Afterthought